Cakt-opener



I wi/lm eooco L. M. FERGUSON.

CAN OPENER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 11,1927.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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LOUIS M. FERGUSON, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

CAN-OPENER.

Application filed July 11, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis M. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Can- Opener; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrlption of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved can opener, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, elficient and practical device of this kind, which may be manufactured for a small cost and sold at a reasonable profit.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device comprising a lever or member having means at one end for pivoting the member at the center of the can, and provided with a cutter, to be spaced at any suitable location from the pivot end and adapted to penetrate the can top, whereby, as the member is moved on its pivot, the can top may be severed adjacent the peripheral edge of the can, the pivoting means acting to lift the can top, when depressing the outer end of the member.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for reinforcing or bracing the cutter, thereby relieving the strain on the thumb nut of the screw of the cutter.

In practical fields, the details of construction may necessitate alterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective, showing the practical application or the use of the can opener.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the can opener detached from the can.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fi 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the v cutter.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

eel-m1 No. 179,911.

substantially vertically, said tapered bent portion may pierce or penetrate the central part of the can top 5. After causing the portion 1 to penetrate the can top, the lever or member may be disposed substantially in parallelism with the top of the can, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the body of the projection or spur may fulcrum in the center of the top. A suitable cutter 6, which may be of any suitable shape, preferably as shown, is provided, and the upper part of the cutter has a reduced part 7 However, the cutter is disposed so as to penetrate the can top, whereby, as the lever or member is moved on its pivot, the cutting edge 8 of the cutter will sever the can top substantially concentric with the circular contour of the top. Rising from the reduced part 7 of the cutter is a threaded extension or screw 9, on which the thumb nut 10 is threaded, and when this nut is tightened securely against the upper face of the member or lever, the cutter is held rigidly or firmly in position. The end of the member or lever opposite the end having the pivot spur is provided with a handle 11, whereby the lever or member may be swung 011 its pivot to cause the cutter to sever the can top. The cutter may be adjusted in the elongated slot, whereby can tops of cans of different diameters may be opened.

The opposite walls 12 of the elongated slot 2 of the lever or member are correspondingly inclined. The walls 13 (which engage the longitudinal walls of the slot 2) of the reduced part 7 of the cutter, are also correspondingly inclined, whereby they may cooperate with the walls 12. It is to be observed that as the cutter 6 follows the circular contour of the can top, there is a pres sure against the cutting edge 8 in a direction as indicated by the arrow on, thereby causing the upper face 14, at one end of the cutter to bear with considerable pressure against the under face of the blade or lever, and if not for the correspondingly inclined walls of the slot and the reduced part 7, there would be considerable strain upon the threads of the screw or extension 9, possibly to the extent of causing the thumb nut 10 to become loosened. In other words, one of the inclined walls of the reduced part 7 cooperates with one of the inclined walls of the slot 2, as shown at 15, to act against the pressure on the cutting edge 8 in the direction of the arrow a, thereby relieving the strain on the threads of the screw 9 and the thumb nut, which may be tightened sufliciently to prevent longitudinal displacemem; of the cutter. By means of the directly opposed walls of the reduced part 7 of the cutter and the longitudinal edges of the slot being inclined in the same direction in parallelism relieves all the strain on the threads of the stud and the thumb nut, and also relieves the twisting or displacement of the opposite sides of the blades incident to the pressure on the cutting edge of the cutter in the direction of the arrow (1 and also allows the cutter to be easily removed from one side of the blade, when the thumb nut is detached.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful, is

In a device as set forth, an elongated flat lever, provided with an elongated slot, the direct opposite longitudinal side walls of said slot being inclined in the same direction in parallelism, a cutter having an upper flat face to engage the under face of said lever, said flat face having a reduced part, said reduced part having a threaded stud, a thumb nut threaded on said stud and engaging the upper face of said lever for drawing the flat upper face of the cutter firmly in contact with the under face of the lever, two opposite side walls of said reduced part being inclined their full, height in the same direction and in parallelism thereby constituting an inclined projection corresponding to and engaging the inclined walls of said slot thereby relieving the strain on the stud and its threads and the thumb nut, and whereby the cutter may be removed from the under face of the lever at any point along the slot after detaching the thumb nut. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS M. FERGUSON. Witnesses:

J 0111a W. AsHnRooK, V. H. WEAVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

